The details
Dozens of students walked out of classes at 9:40 a.m., just before attendance is taken, at Timber Creek High School, Central High School, Fossil Ridge High School and Keller High School.
Quinn Clark, a junior at Timber Creek High School, walked out and met up with other students near the Chicken Express restaurant just east of the high school. Clark said that she and several of her friends chose to walk out because they don’t agree with the board’s proposed splitting of the district along US 377.
Clark added the potential split has not only been on everyone’s minds, it has been a source of stress to her, her friends and her parents.
“Anytime I go to school, people are talking about it,” Clark said. “It’s really something we’re all scared of.”
Allison Neatrour, a parent of a freshman at Timber Creek, was at the school to show her support for the walkout.
“I think it’s very appropriate that [the students] should be able to express their concerns about wanting to stay together as a district,” Neatrour said. “They’re just standing up for what they believe in.”
Students at Central High School walked out and had their own meet up at a nearby park. As they walked down the sidewalk, several chanted, “Stop the split!” as passing cars honked in support. Some parents in attendance handed out gold ribbons, a symbol of keeping the district intact.
Avery LeBaron, a former Central High School student and current Tarrant County College student, said that most people she’s talked to about the split do not want it.
“It makes me hope that the school board's going to open their eyes and realize this is not a good idea,” LeBaron said. “At all the board meetings I've been to, I've seen many, many more people on the side of keeping the district together.”
Some Central High School students went back to class after the event was over while others went to the Chicken Express near Timber Creek High School to join other protesting students.
Keller High School students echoed their desire for the district to stay united.
"This is the school I go to, this is the district I represent," said Heath Shiflett, a sophomore who runs on the school's cross country team. "These are the people I run for. These are the people I study for. I don't want to be torn apart from them."
In a letter to parents, Keller ISD officials reminded families ahead of the walkout that leaving a class and failing to return is considered skipping and addressed in the KISD Student Code of Conduct.
The backstory
Splitting the district in two has been the focus of several recent KISD board meetings. During a Jan. 16 meeting, Superintendent Tracy Johnson voiced her concerns over the split and said she had her resignation letter ready to go, should the board want to accept it.
Although the board did not take any action at that time on Johnson’s employment, an item on a subsequent board meeting Jan. 30—where Johnson was absent—was to discuss Johnson’s resignation. The board ultimately tabled her resignation until what Board President Charles Randklev called a “later date.” However, they did name Cory Wilson as interim superintendent. Wilson had been serving as the KISD assistant superintendent of education services.
The news of a possible district split first started gaining traction on social media the week of Jan. 6, with several KISD parents and residents voicing their concerns.
KISD Trustees Chelsea Kelly and Joni Smith posted on their Facebook pages Jan. 9 that they were against the split and that they initially were not aware of the discussion.
Additional reporting by Editor Gabby Bailey and Reporter Cody Thorn.
